Tag: The Tribulation

The Event that will change the world forever

On By David GossenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Today’s Front Page

Today, The Bible & You

The Nation’s Christian Newspaper

August 2026

The Event that will change

the world forever

The Snatching Away of Christians in the Rapture

The Rapture is the promised future event when Christ will return from heaven to snatch away His church, gathering all believers to Himself.  God describes it as a mystery that was previously unrevealed, but now made known, declaring, “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed, In a moment, in  the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (1st Corinthians 15:51-52).

The term rapture comes from the Latin rapio, a translation of the Greek harpazo, meaning to seize or snatch away, as found in Paul’s statement that believers will be “caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1st Thessalonians 4:17).  This supernatural snatching away involves the bodily resurrection of deceased believers, the transformation of living saints into their glorified bodies, and the collective meeting of the entire church with Christ in the air.

According to Bible teacher Charles Ryrie, “At the rapture, some mortals (living) will only need to put on immortality, while those whose bodies have seen corruption (dead) will need to put on incorruption through resurrection.  Both routes to heaven involve change; the living need to be translated and the dead raised.  The last generation of Christians will not experience death.”  (Charles Ryrie, A Survey of Bible Doctrine,  p. 166).

This is not to be confused with the second phase of the Second Coming, where Christ visibly descends to the earth in judgment and to establish His earthly kingdom, ruling the entire earth from the city of Jerusalem (Revelation 19:11-16; Zechariah 14:4).  God emphasizes this comfort by saying, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.  Therefore, comfort one another with these words” (1st Thessalonians 4:16-18).  This event is imminent, meaning it could occur at any moment, without warning signs, in keeping with Jesus’ promise: “I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2-3).  Fruchtenbaum states, “As each day ends, it brings one day closer to the time when the Rapture may occur.  Because of this imminency, it is time for believers to awaken out of sleep and to live a life consistent with the position of being sons of light.” (Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah, p. 154).

The snatching away of the born-again believers is not just an end-times doctrine, but the greatest promise our Lord Jesus gave. He promised to come for His Bride before the world enters its darkest hour.  This is not a vague Biblical doctrine; the two phases of the Second Coming are the second most discussed subjects in the entire Bible. In the New Testament alone, there are 318 verses about it.  Think about that number: 318.  That’s roughly one out of every 30 verses pointing forward to the moment our Lord Jesus comes back for us.

The latter days are a special time for our Creator.  The 7-year period the Bible calls the tribulation is the most described time period in all of Scripture.  More verses describe it than describe the 3 and 1/2 years of our Lord’s own ministry on Earth.  If God devotes that much of his Word to this, why don’t we?  God doesn’t waste words.

There is no Earth yet, no sun, no stars, no time as you know it.  There is only God: Father, Son, and Spirit.  And in that eternity before everything, a desire is spoken.

The Father wanted a bride, a bride for his Son, so that the Son and his bride could rule everything he was about to make, together forever.

The Bible makes it clear that God is seeking a bride for His Son. God tells us in Revelation 21:2, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

We read in Revelation 21:9, “And there came unto one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come here, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”  Revelation 22:17, “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come.  And let him that is athirst come.  And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”

When we look for the spiritual picture of a woman in the Bible, most of the time she is a picture of the Body of Believers, the Bride of Christ! For example, at the end of time, when Christ is coming back, when the Bride of Christ is going to be His Wife, we read in Revelation 19:7-8, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife has made herself ready.  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white:  for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”

The second coming is what the universe has been moving forward to before the world began.  There’s a specific kind of wedding hidden inside everything our Lord Jesus ever said.  His first listeners caught it instantly; we’ve completely forgotten it.  And it is the most important thing.  The wedding hidden in plain sight.  So much of what our Lord Jesus said was wedding language.  He talked like a groom constantly, and his listeners caught every word of it because they’d all been to these weddings.  The customs were in their bones, and the meaning that landed for them sails right over our heads 2,000 years later.  When a person understands the traditional Jewish wedding ceremony, they will totally appreciate the application of the fulfillment of our Lord’s sacrifice for His Bride.

In the ancient Jewish world, a marriage didn’t begin with a proposal; it began with a journey.  The groom left his own home and traveled to the home of the woman he wanted, and he came carrying two things: a contract, which they called the ketuba, with the terms written out.  And second: a price, a bride price.  Because everyone understood that taking this daughter would pull her from her father’s house, and that cost something, and the groom was willing to pay. These prices were real.  When David wanted his bride, the price was 100 trophies taken from the Philistines.  When Jacob wanted Rachel, the price was seven years of his life working for Laban, and then, cheated, seven more, 14 years for a wife. That’s the weight of it.

The groom sits down with the family; he lays out the contract, they come to terms, and then they seal it the way covenants were sealed: they pour a cup of wine, and they drink.  And in that moment, they are betrothed.  Our word for that is too weak.  We hear betrothed and think engaged, fragile, breakable, somebody changes their mind in a few months.  That is not what this was.  Betrothal in those days meant you were married, bound.  The only thing that could end it was a divorce.  It’s why when Joseph hears Mary is pregnant, he plans to put her away, to divorce her quietly, before they ever live together a single day.

A contract is just ink on a page until you see the price written next to it.  Because the bride price, the cost the groom’s family paid to win her, has a name in your story: it was the blood of Jesus.  The Father himself paid the price for a bride for his Son, and the price was the precious blood of his own Son.

The groom is about to do something that’s going to sound very, very familiar.  After the cup of wine, the groom and the bride do something strange to us: they separate.  He goes back to his home; she stays at hers.  And during the wait, each of them has a job.  Watch both, because our Lord Jesus walks straight into both.

The groom’s job is to build an addition to his Father’s house and adds on a room, a bridal chamber off his Father’s existing house, so that when the wedding comes, he’ll have a home ready to bring his bride to.  Before the death of our Lord Jesus, the night before he died, Jesus said in John 14:3, “In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also.”  The disciples weren’t confused by that; we get confused by it.  They heard a groom describing a wedding:  I’m going to my Father’s house to build the room, and then I’m coming back to get you.  But a room is just real estate until you hear who it’s being built for; it’s being built for you.

The bride prepares herself in two ways.  She makes her wedding dress with her own hands over the months of waiting, stitch by stitch.  Remember that dress; we’re going to need it, and what it’s made of is going to stop you cold.  Then, she undergoes the mikvah, a public immersion in water that declares to her whole community, “I am betrothed, I belong to him now.”

Now comes the detail about timing: the groom does not get to pick the wedding date.  By custom, only one person could send the groom to go get his bride: his father.  The son built the room and worked and waited, and every so often he’d want to go, and the father would say, “Not yet, it has to be ready.”  This knowledge makes the words of our Lord Jesus easy to understand, words that have confused people for 2,000 years.  Matthew 24:36, “But of that day and that hour knows no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”  That was never God being mysterious to keep you nervous; it’s a wedding.  The Father gives the word.  It was meant to be a wedding you stay ready for, because you never know which night the call will come.

When the Father finally says, “Go get her.” Everything changes in an instant.  The groom gathers his groomsmen, and they set out for the bride’s village in the dark.  Then comes the epic scene.  The groom chooses to come often at midnight, on purpose.  The whole thing is built to be a surprise.  They come with torches blazing, they come blowing the shofar, the ram’s horn; they come shouting and clapping, sweeping into the bride’s community in the dead of night.  The sound wakes the household; the sound wakes the bridesmaids.  And if you’ve ever wondered why our Lord Jesus told that strange story about the 10 virgins, five wise and five foolish, waiting in the night for a bridegroom, now you know.  They were waiting for this:  the midnight cry.  Five were ready and five were not, and the difference was everything.

And in the middle of that noise and light and joy, the groom does the thing the whole night was built for:  he snatches his bride away.  The trumpet, the shout, the light in the dark, people caught up in an instant, gone before the world could blink.  That midnight procession, the torches, the shofar, the shout, the snatching away, the rapture.  It was before us all the time; people read the story, understood it in its immediate context, and yet were not able to make the connection.  Our Lord Jesus was describing his own wedding.

There is more to this beautiful story we will all participate in as born-again believers.  The groom brings his bride into the chamber he built, the chuppah, and they’re together at last.  Then comes the feast, seven days of celebration.  And only when the seven days are complete does the groom bring his bride out and present her in radiance to everyone waiting.  God’s Word tells us that when Jesus returns to this earth in power, he comes with tens of thousands of his saints. He doesn’t come back alone; he comes back with his bride to set up his kingdom and reign.  A snatching away, then a coming back after the bride is taken, the seven days unfold, which represents the 7-year-tribulation, and then the king and his bride come out together.

This is what our Lord was saying in 2nd Corinthians 11:2, “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy:  for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”  This is the wedding we were made for.  The empty room in your Father’s house already has your name on it;  our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.  The wedding is just a story, beautiful, ancient, a little distant, until you realize you’re in it.  That means you need to know exactly what the moment itself looks like, chapter and verse.

What does God want us to do with this information?  Comfort one another with these words. God reveals this to us in 1st Thessalonians 4:18: “Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”  This was always meant to be the comforting part.

But comfort is just half of it.

These words are meant to do just that and more.  We read in 1st Corinthians 15:1-52, “Behold, I show you a mystery;  We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”  In a moment, the twinkling of an eye, faster than thought.  That’s the flash you saw in the opening;  that’s how fast.  And what do we become in that instant?  1st John 3:1-2, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be:  but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”  We shall be like him.

God has given us a wonderful Book to live by.  The more you read and study it, the more precious it becomes.  The word meet, as found in 1st Thessalonians 4:17, “caught up to meet the Lord in the air,” is used two other times in the New Testament: Matthew 25:6 and Acts 28:15.

In both of these places, it is a group of people going out to meet someone and accompanying them back to the place they just went out from.  This is exactly what we will be doing.  We will be snatched away to meet the Lord in the air, and then after seven years, we will be returning to Earth to rule and reign with our Lord Jesus when He establishes His kingdom on Earth for 1,000 years.

Friend, there is one great, glorious second coming of the Lord in our future.  He will come once more to give relief to his church and judgment to his adversaries and to establish his kingdom.  Surely you are ready to shout out with me the next-to-last verse of the Bible: “Come, Lord Jesus.”

Printed with permission of Today, The Bible & You, located at P.O. Box 1722, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 74013, Phone Number (918) 279-1136, the name of the original article in the August 2026 issue of Today’s Front Page was “The Event that will change the world forever.” wwwJohnBarela.com

 

 

How Important is the Construction of the Third Temple in Bible Prophecy?

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Today, The Bible & You

Today’s Front Page

The Nation’s Christian Newspaper

January 2026

How Important is the Construction 

of the Third Temple in Bible Prophecy?

Many are asking, “Is the Third Temple in Jerusalem something that must happen?  Why is it so important?  Is there a simple answer to this?”  Yes, to all of these questions.  The rebuilding of the Third Temple is not just a matter of historical or cultural significance but a pivotal event foretold in Scripture, deeply entwined with the narrative of God’s ultimate plan for humanity.  It is a must. 

                 

Why is it a must in the fulfillment of Bible prophecy?  The answer to this is given to us in 2nd Thessalonians 2:2-3,  “Let no man deceive you by any means:  for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;  4 Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.“

  

God tells us that the Antichrist will be someone who will oppose and exalt himself above all that is called God.  Ultimately, we are told that this man of sin will one day sit in the temple of God and demand the worship of the world.

     

 Therefore, there must be a Third Jewish Temple in Jerusalem where they are once again offering sacrifices.  This is precisely what they are planning to do at this very time.  The Jewish religious leader has reported that they have everything to begin now.  They are simply waiting for the order.  The Antichrist will somehow convince the Jews and Arabs to work out a deal, allowing the Jews to set up their Third Temple.

 After three and one-half years, the Antichrist will fulfill the role for this in 2nd Thessalonians 2:4, Moses had his role, Pharaoh had his role.  It is written:  “For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh,”  Even for this same purpose have I raised you up, that I might shew my power in you, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.”  (Romans 9:17)  So will it be for Antichrist.

This is why it is so important to 

understand prophecy.

In the realm of eschatology, understanding the rebuilding of the Third Temple is essential.  The Bible repeatedly warns against deception, especially in the end times, indicating that even the elect could be misled.  Recognizing the signs and prophecies, like the rebuilding of the Third Temple, acts as a safeguard against such deception and is a vital component of spiritual preparedness for believers.

The history of the Jewish temples in Jerusalem is marked by the construction and destruction of two significant temples.  Solomon’s Temple (the First Temple) and Herod’s Temple (the Second Temple).  The Second Temple, which was the center of Jewish worship during the time of our Lord Jesus on earth, met its destruction in 70 AD.  This historical backdrop of the Third Temple sets the stage for the anticipated rebuilding of the Third Temple, a crucial event in end-time prophecy.

Several key scriptures lay the foundation 

for the prophecy of the Third Temple.

Daniel 9:27 speaks of a figure, the Antichrist, making a covenant for seven years and then breaking it midway, at the three one-half year mark, ceasing sacrifices and offerings. This implies the existence of a functioning temple during the Tribulation period.

2nd Thessalonians 2:3-4 mentions the “man of sin/lawlessness (the Antichrist) who exalts himself in the temple where such events would transpire.

Revelation 11:1-2 refers to the apostle John measuring the Temple of God, highlighting its physical presence during prophetic events.  From these passages, it’s clear that the rebuilding of the Third Temple aligns with Biblical prophecy concerning the end times.

Recent Developments and Signs: Remarkable recent events, like the Jewish holiday Tisha B’Av, have reignited the call for the Third Temple’s reconstruction.  Notable Rabbis and Jewish leaders have shifted their focus from mourning past destructions to advocating for the building of the new temple.  Even more intriguing are reports of foxes sighted on the Temple Mount, which some interpret as fulfilling Biblical prophecy from Lamentations 5:18 and Zechariah’s visions, signaling the imminent rebuilding.

The push for the Third Temple’s construction raises theological questions, especially among Christians.  Some wonder how this aligns with the belief in Christ’s finished work on the cross.  It’s crucial to understand that the Third Temple’s significance in prophecy does not negate Christ’s redemptive work but rather complements the Biblical narrative of God’s ongoing plan for humanity, including both the church and Israel. 

Israel and the Jewish people are central to Biblical prophecy as God has a future plan for Israel to be the head of the nations when he establishes his kingdom on earth for 1,000 years.  The rebuilding of the Third Temple symbolizes not only a significant prophetic milestone but also God’s continuing covenant with Israel.  God makes this very clear in Romans 11. 

As we witness these developments and the potential fulfillment of prophecies, it is a call for believers to be vigilant, discerning, and spiritually prepared.  The rebuilding of the Third Temple serves as a reminder of the proximity of the Rapture, the Tribulation, and the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Third Temple in Jerusalem stands as a significant sign in Bible prophecy.  It not only reflects the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy but also underscores the importance of watchfulness and faith in these last days.  We are called to be aware of these signs, understanding their significance, and living in anticipation of Christ’s return, while holding forth the Word of Life.

Printed with permission of Today, The Bible & You located at P.O. Box 1722, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 74013, Phone Number (918) 279-1136 the name of the original article in the January 2026 issue of Today’s Front Page was “How Important is the Construction of the Third Temple in Bible Prophecy?” www.JohnBarela.com 

 

10 Proofs for the Pretribulation Rapture

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Today, The Bible & You

Today’s Front Page

No. 1 in News and Inspiration

September 2016

10 Proofs for the Pretribulation Rapture

The Pretribulation Rapture

  Matthew 24:29-31 is the hands-down favorite passage of Pretribulation Rapture deniers, yet contained in those passages is the VERY PROOF that the RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH and the THE SECOND COMING are two separate events.

  Matthew paints a picture of stark terror and physical judgments falling upon the Earth, and then people shall see the ‘Son of man’ coming down from Heaven. Paul on the other hand, talks about none of these things being connected with the Rapture of the Church. Furthermore, Paul says in the Rapture that Jesus comes for us personally and pulls us up into the clouds with Him, but Matthew says Jesus sends His angels for His elect at the Second Coming.

 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” — 2nd Timothy 2:15 (KJV)

  The Bible gives Christians in the Church Age a clear command to study the word of God. Not only that, we are also commanded to ‘rightly divide’ what we read there.  There are 3 groups in the Bible that God can be talking to at any given time, they are not the same. First, you have the Jews and Israel as one group, the redeemed Church as the second group, and the unsaved gentiles which make up the rest of the world population at any given time.

Understanding The Differences Between

The Rapture and The Second Coming

# 1. THE 24 ELDERS ARE WEARING THEIR CROWNS BEFORE THE START OF THE TIME OF JACOB’S TROUBLE.

Revelation -- Twenty-Four Elders Cast Their Crowns Before the Throne of God

  Paul says in 2nd Timothy that believers will receive crowns in that day’ that takes place at the time of the Rapture of the Church.  John, in Revelation 4, is taken up in type in the Rapture and when he gets there he witnesses elders with crowns 2 chapters before the start of the time of Jacob’s trouble in Revelation 6.

  “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” — 2nd Timothy 4:8 (KJV)

  “And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.” — Revelation 4:4 (KJV)

 # 2. THE BIBLE DOESN’T MENTION A RESURRECTION AT THE SECOND COMING BUT IT DOES FOR THE RAPTURE.

The Three Comings of Jesus Christ -- Calvary, Rapture and Armageddon

  In Revelation 19:11-21, we clearly see the Second Coming of Jesus Christ at the Battle of Armageddon. Church saints mount up on white horses and return with Him. Nowhere in the passage does it mention a resurrection will take place at this time, in stark contrast to the resurrection of Church saints Paul talks about in 1st Thessalonians 4.

 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” — 1st Thessalonians 4:16, 17 (KJV)

# 3. AT THE SECOND COMING THE WORLD WILL MOURN, BUT AT THE RAPTURE IT’S A TIME OF REJOICING.

Beacon Ministries -- 1st Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 16

  Matthew 24:29-31 contains the very proof that the Rapture of the Church and the Second Coming are two separate events.  Matthew paints a picture of stark terror and physical judgments falling upon the Earth, and then people shall see the ‘Son of man’ coming down from Heaven.  Paul on the other hand, talks about none of these things being connected with the Rapture of the Church.   Furthermore, Paul says in the Rapture that Jesus comes for us personally and pulls us up into the clouds with Him, but Matthew says Jesus sends His angels for His elect at the Second Coming.

 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man coming in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” — Matthew 24:29-31 (KJV) — Second Coming 

 “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment , in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” — 1st Corinthians 15:51, 52 (KJV) — The Pretribulation Rapture

#4. THE EVERY NAME GIVEN TO THE TIME OF GREAT TRIBULATION IS A DIRECT REFERENCE TO NATIONAL ISRAEL AND THE JEWS.

The Time of Jacob's Trouble is Nigh at Hand

  In Matthew 24, Jesus says that there will be a time of ‘great tribulation’, but He does not call it so.  The actual name for this 7 year period of time is found in Jeremiah 30. where the prophet tells us clearly who this time of trial and testing is for.  It’s for Israel.  Jacob’s name was changed from Jacob, his name when he was lost and in rebellion to God, to Israel, the name, God gave him after he ‘wrestled with God’ and got right.  The Bible says that the physical regathering of Israel, which took place in 1948, the Jews and Israel would be in the land but far from God in their hearts and minds.  This is the exact condition we see today in places like Tel Aviv, which is the Sodomite capital of the world.

  “Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble but he shall be saved out of it.” — Jeremiah 30:7 (KJV)

# 5. AT THE TIME OF THE SECOND COMING, JESUS RETURNS FROM A WEDDING.

What is the Marriage Supper of the Lamb

  Luke says that when Jesus returns for His people Israel at the Second Coming. He has already been at the wedding.  Paul tells us that after the Rapture of the Church we meet the Lord for the great Marriage of the Lamb wedding supper. This event has nothing to do with Israel and is for the Church only.  At the Second Coming this event has already taken place.

 “Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord, when He will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto Him immediately.  Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when He cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird Himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.  And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.” — Luke 12:35-40 (KJV) — Second Coming  

  “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” — 2nd Corinthians 11:2 (KJV) –– The Pretribulation Rapture

  “And He saith unto me, “Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.  And He saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.” — Revelation 19:9 (KJV)

#6. TWO OPENINGS OF THE DOOR IN HEAVEN.

Stairway to heaven with a White Cross at the top Stock Photo illustration

  In the book of Revelation, Heaven is opened two times, and both of them are connected with the Church. In the first one, John, who is a type of the Church, is taken up to Heaven in a type of the Rapture.  The second time occurs in Revelation 19 where the redeemed saints already in Heaven mount up on white horses and return with Jesus at the Second Coming.

 “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.” — Revelation 4:1 (KJV)

 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.” — Revelation19:11 (KJV)

#7. THE DAY OF THE RAPTURE IS UNKNOWN WHILE THE DAY OF THE LORD’S SECOND COMING IS MENTIONED SPECIFICALLY.

The Rapture -- Jesus in Coming

  Nowhere in Paul’s writings does he mention the date that the Rapture of the Church will take place.  He gives us time clues in 2nd Thessalonians, but not actual day.  John, on the other hand tells us in Revelation precisely when the Day of the Lord will occur. He says that the Second Coming happens 1,260 days (three and a half years) after the Jews flee to the Red Rock City of Selah Petra to hide from the Antichrist.

 “That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;” — 2nd Thessalonians 2:2, 3 (KJV) — The Pretribulation Rapture

  “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.” — Revelation 12:6 (KJV) — Second Coming

#8. THE LORD RETURNS TO THE EARTH WITH HIS CHURCH — NOT FOR HIS CHURCH.

Second Coming of Christ with Church-Age Saints Return on White Horses

  Jude talks about Enoch who is a type of a Christian living in the days before the Law of Moses.  Enoch walks with God and then one day God takes him up and out of here in a type of the Rapture. Enoch was not Jewish and had no connection to Israel of any kind. That same Enoch prophesied that at the Second Coming.  Jesus Christ will return with HIs redeemed saints already in tow.

 “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,” — Jude 1:14 (KJV)

#9. THE MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB HAPPENS BEFORE THE SECOND COMING.

Marriage Supper of the Lamb illustration

  A spectacular event happens in Heaven right before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ at the Battle of Armageddon, the great Wedding Supper of Jesus and His Bride, the blood-washed redeemed Church.  You will take careful note that if the Wedding Supper happens before the Second Coming, then it must be that the Church is already up in Heaven with Jesus.  Where do we go on our ‘honeymoon’? We take a Joy ride on a white horse and return to the Earth in the triumphal Second Coming. Revelation 19:11 starts the ‘honeymoon’ in amazing fashion!  These passages alone show proof  positive that the Church is already in heaven prior to the Second Coming, there is no other way the marriage could take place.

 “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready.  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white.  for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And He saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.  And He saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.” — Revelation 19:9 (KJV) — first the wedding.

 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Fearful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.” — Revelation 19:11, 14 (KJV) — then the honeymoon.  

#10. AS IT WAS IN THE DAYS OF NOAH AND LOT SO SHALL IT BE IN THE END TIMES.

As in The Days of Noah and Lot so will be the Coming of The Son of Man

  Jesus in the gospels says this time period will be like the days of Noah, and like the days of Lot. Wow, talk about conflicting events!  In the days of Noah, a vey small group of people are told to ‘get in the ark’, and are saved when the Door closes shut them in.  Jesus of John 10 says that He is the door, thus we see that being in the ark is a type picture of the born-again believer being ‘in Christ Jesus’.  Not only that, before the judgment falls, the people in the ark are taken ‘up and out;’ as they rise above what rages below.  So we see that this is a type picture of the Church, redeemed in Jesus the Door, being removed prior to judgment.

  In Lot’s day, the opposite happens.  Lot is not taken out, he is told to run away!  And where does he flee to?  Why, he is told to ‘flee to the mountain’. Where do Jews in the time of Jacob’s trouble flee to?  They run and hide to the Selah Petra, where they wait 3.5 years, 1260 days, for the Lord to come get them at the Revelation 19:14 Second Coming. Who does the Lord come with?  Us, the Church. 

  “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” — Matthew 24:37 (KJV)

  “Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.” — Luke 17:28, 29 (KJV)

  Noah and Lot represent two very different events that have two very different conclusions.  So it is with the Rapture of the Church and the Second Coming. They are two remarkably distinct and different events with two polar opposite conclusions.

  Keep looking up, Jesus is coming to get us soon!

 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ;” — Titus 2:13 (KJV)

Jew's blowing Ram's Horns -- What is the Time of Jacob's Trouble.

Printed with permission of Today, The Bible & You located at P.O. Box 1722, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 74013, Phone No. (918) 279-1136. The name of the original article in the September 2016 issue of Today’s Front Page was “10 Proofs for the Pretribulation Rapture.”  www.JohnBarela.com